HONG
KONG is an autonomous territory on the eastern side of the Pearl
River estuary in South China. Along with Macau, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai,
and several other major cities in Guangdong, the territory forms a core
part of the Pearl River Delta metropolitan region, the most populated area
in the world. With over 7.4 million Hongkongers of various nationalities
in a territory of 1,104 square kilometres (426 sq mi), Hong Kong is the
fourth-most densely populated region in the world.

Hong Kong was formerly a colony
of the British Empire, after the perpetual cession of Hong Kong Island
from Qing China at the conclusion of the First Opium War in 1842. Originally
a lightly populated area of farming and fishing villages, the territory
has become one of the most significant financial centres and trade ports
in the world. With the exception of the Second World War, during which
the colony was occupied by the Empire of Japan, Hong Kong remained under
British control until 1997, when it was returned to China. As a special
administrative region, Hong Kong maintains a separate political and economic
system apart from mainland China.

As the world's seventh-largest
trading entity, its legal tender, the Hong Kong dollar, is the 13th-most
traded currency. Hong Kong's tertiary sector dominated economy is characterised
by competitive simple taxation and supported by its common law judiciary
system.

The territory features the most
skyscrapers in the world, surrounding Victoria Harbour, which lies in the
centre of the city's dense urban region. It has a very high Human Development
Index ranking and the seventh-highest life expectancy in the world. Over
90% of its population makes use of well-developed public transportation.
Seasonal air pollution originating from neighbouring industrial areas of
mainland China, which adopts loose emissions standards, has resulted in
a high level of atmospheric particulates in winter.